Women and Their Changing Roles

Women's Roles

Women and Their Changing Roles

How Technology and Other Changes Affected the Women in the Community

By Hiren Ajudia

 

            The cry for equal recognition and long been sung by women prior to the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment. In 1920, when this amendment was finally passed allowing women the right to vote, they felt as if all of their dreams had been fulfilled. The population of the women community was so large that they could no longer be ignored and the growing number of women’s rights activities was proof that action must be taken as soon as possible. Although someone women were dying to vote (literary as well), others felt that it would be out of their place to intermingle with the male dominated society. Some women felt as if they were wrong to demand voting privileges and compare themselves to the males in the society because they were not comfortable with concerning themselves outside of their homes and their family. Some women felt that the social circles of both men and women should stay separate because they both had different responsibilities.

It cannot be denied that the inclusion of women in the legal matters at the state and national level did not bring positive reforms for the people. With women on board, there had been a heavy emphasis on the rights for children, labor workers and also things like prison reform.

When faced with a new situation, it is often difficult to understand how things work and as a result, it takes a while for people to understand what a certain device does and what it is used for. Likewise, women often found themselves having a difficult time understanding electricity, plumbing, and other common systems in the household. Electricity changed the lives of women in the home because it brought along advancements which made life easier for the women. For example, the invention of washing machines made it possible for women to have more time for themselves during the day. Instead of washing clothes by hand, women in the urban locations could take extra naps or they could work on other things. Electricity made light possible, and with light the hours of activities were extended. This meant that women had the opportunity to stay up longer into the night in order to do their personal activities.

In addition to standing up in the political aspect of life, women were also taking responsibility for themselves outside of the home. In the work force, women found themselves to be independent and strived to make their own existence. The availability of higher wage paying jobs allowed women to have more chances of providing their family with the necessities they need. Prior to this movement, people believed that women would not be able to work and to look after their families at the same time, but they were proved incorrect.

One of the most important roles of women during this time was seen in the “New Women” phase. Not only had fashion changed dramatically during this time period, we also see a shift in the personalities of the women of this era. The new breed women wore short clothes and engaged in activities that were unusual before. They had taken up things like smoking, and dancing which went against their strong Victorian era beliefs. Today, we find these roles of women to be common, but at the time this transition from a family oriented to a individual oriented movement had been unsettling for many. There were people who did not understand that women were people as well and that they had dreams and ambitions which changed as their surroundings changed.